Furniture-rack.



PATENTED JULY 21, 1908. v; 0. LUPPERT.

FURNITURE RACK.

A PPLIOATIOH FILED A23. 28.1908.

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PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.-

I v. 0. LUPPBRT. FURNITURE RACK.

APPLICATION FILED AFR. 28,1908.

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No. 893,856. I I PATENTED JULY 21, 1908. v. c. LUPPERT.

FURNITURE RACK.

- APPLIOATION PILED APB. 28.1908.

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VALENTINE O. LUPPERT, OF WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNITURE -RAGK.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 28, 1908.

Patented July 21, 1908. Serial No. 429,705.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VALENTINE C. LUP- PERT, a citizen of the United States,-residing at lVilliamsport, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture-Racks, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specific'ation, and to the letters and figures of ref erencemarked thereon.

My invention relates to racks for supporting tables, chairs, and other articles of furniture, for display in stores, so that a minimum of space in a horizontal direction will be required by the utilization of room space in a vertical direction, the articles of furniture being arranged in several vertical tiers so to speak, but without any hindrance to the most satisfactory display of the articles of furniture.

Referring to the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rack embodying my invention, designed for display of ornamental parlor or library tables; Fig. 2 a side elevation thereof, one of the table supports or brackets being shown in a tilted position for the display orexhibition of the table top; Fig. 3 a detail view in perspective on a larger scale of one of the tilting table supports or holders; Fig. 4 a view in side elevation of an embodiment of my invention, in which 'the rack is given a folding form'to enable it to occupy a small space for storage or shipment; and Fig. 5 a perspective view of a rack em bodying my invention, adapted for the display of chairs and fitted for placing against a store wall.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, I employ a foot piece or base A composed of bars or members ex tending at-right angles to each other, or arranged in a cruciform fashion, from Which preferably of iron piping or tubing, at the top of which is a horizontally extending arm C that extends equal distances on op osite sides of the standard, and which may e made of two parallel bars bowed or spread apart at mid-length to receive the up per end of the standard, and braced or supported from the standard by obliquely extending bars or braces D, that are riveted or bolted to the standard at their lower ends. The horizontal arm C is supported sufficiently above the foot piece or base as to leave ample room for a tab e beneath the arm resting on the floor, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2,

and the cruciform arrangement of the members of the base or foot piece involves 11o interference with the legs of the table resting on the floor.

At each end the arm C an armor bracket E for the reception and support of a table in an elevated position above the table standing upon the floor, and in order to enable the top of the table to be displayed or exhibited for inspection (which is especially desirable in the case of parlor or other ornamental tables) without the necessity of removing the table from the rack, I pivot the arm or bracket E to the horizontal arm C, so that the bracket may be rocked or tilted as shown in Fig. 2, so as to turn the table supported thereby out of a horizontal position. The arm or bracket is provided on its upper side at suitably separated points, with sharp projections or spurs 6, adapted to embed. themselves sufliciently in the under side of the table top to prevent the slipping of the table when rocked or-tilted, and in order that the table when tilted, as shown in Fig. 2, mayremain in such position without being held, and also to en able it to be more conveniently manipulated, the table-supporting arm or cated suuciently above its pivotal point of connection with the cross arm 0 as to place the center of gravity well abovesuch pivotal point. The arm or bracket has on its under side a vertical member e, consisting of a short bar whose lower end has a pin or bolt passing through it by means of which the pivotal connection of the tablesup orting arm or bracket is formed with the iorizontal arm C, and on opposite sides said member has lugs or projections 6 adapted to engage the upper side of the horizontal arm 0 to arrest the rocking movement of the arm or bracket, so that it will not go too far when it is moved to sup port the table in a tilted position, and it will be stopped at and held in a horizontal position when the table is to be restored to the usual horizontal position. Said lugs may be easily and cheaply made by making a short cut or incision in the side of the bar which forms said member 6 and then bending outward or oiisettinga portion of the bar.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the table-suphas attached to it bracket is 10- -position illustrated in porting arm or bracket E is T-shape in plan view, to afford three well-se arated points of contact with the under si e of the table, which is a convenient and desirable arrangement when the table is of such size and shape that it may be thus supported, but I do not limit myself to any particular mumber of points of contact on the bracket for the table, for in some instances, as when the table is long and narrow, so that it cannot be readily sup orted by one rack, two racks may be emp oyed, and the bracket given the form of a straight bar with two table-engaging points, as, for example, is illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

As illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, my invention may be embodied in a rack capable of being folded into compact space when not in use, or for shipment or storage, this being accomplished by forming the horizontal arm C of three sections that are pivotally connected, a middle one that is fastened to the top of the standard A, and two end sections that are pivotally connected to the middle section, so that, as shown at the left of Fig. 4, the end sections may be swung to a position arallel with the standard, the braces D being detachably connected with the end sections and adapted to be turned down along side the standard A. In like manner, the portions of the base that extend parallel with the arm 0 may be made in two sections which are hinged at their inner ends so that they may be folded up along side of the standard A as the one at the right of Fig. 4 is shown, said base sec tions being provided with inclined braces F that reach therefrom to the standard with which they are detachably connected, so that the base sections may be swung on their pivots and the braces turned to the the case of one of them in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 5 I show a form of my invention ada ted for displaying chairs, in which case a ti ting or pivoted bracket for engaging the chair is not required. In so far as the base or foot piece, the standard, and the horizontally extending cross arm are concerned, the construction is the same as that illustrated in Fig. 1. The chair-engaging and supporting bracket E, however, is immovable, but it affords several well-separated points of contact for the bottom of the chair seat, preferably three, two of which are provided with spurs to be embedded in the chair bottom. The two spurs are provided on branched or diverging members of the bracket, and the bracket whether of the movable form shown in Fig. 1, or the immovable form shown in Fig. 5, may be readily and inexpensively made of two similarly bent or sha ed bars joined together side by side or parzillel with each other.

In the case of a rack intended to be placed along side of or close to a wall, the brackets as shown in Fig. 5 are secured to the cross arm at right angles thereto, and projecting on to one side thereof, and the connection between the cross arm and the brackets may be formed by means of bolts or rivets passing through outwardly turned feet or ends on the bars forming the cross arm, and the bars forming the bracket.

It will be understood that the under side of the chair seat besides resting on the spurs on the forks or diverging members of the bracket, rests upon the body of the bracket.

In some cases the chair-sup orting mem ber or bracket may consist of t e cross arms whose ends may be forked or diverged and rovided with spurs just as in the case of the orm of bracket illustrated in Fig. 5.

In those cases where the rack is to be used away from a wall, it will be seen that by duplicating the brackets E on the opposite side of the cross arm C, as illustrated in Fig. 5, four chairs may be supported by the rack, and four stood upon the floor directly below those supported in an elevated position by the brackets.

It will be observed that in cases of all forms of my invention, except that illustrated in Fig. 3, a single rack alone can sup port a table, chair, or other piece of furniture, it not being necessary to use a pair of racks, and the reason this is ossible is that the furniture-engaging brac et has more than two points of contact so situated that a straight line will not intersect more than two of the points of contact.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A rack or stand for articles of furniture, having a tiltable article-supporting bracket, having more than two separated oints of contact for the under side of the article to be supported, said points of contact being so arranged that a straight line will not intersect more than two of them, whereby a single rack or stand may alone support an article of furniture.

2. A rack or stand for articles of furniture, com rising a standard, a cross arm, and an artic e-supporting bracket ivoted to the cross arm at the outer end oi the latter.

3. A rack or stand for articles of furniture, comprising a standard, a horizontal cross arm extending on opposite sides of the stand ard, and an article-supporting bracket pivoted to the cross arm at each end thereof, said bracket having more than two separated points of contact for the article to be supported, said points of ranged that a straight line will not intersect more than two of them, whereby each bracket may alone support an article of furniture.

4. A rack or stand for articles of furniture, comprising a standard, a cross arm, and an contact being so ar-' article supporting bracket pivoted to the cross arm, the article-engaging oints of the bracket being above the pivot t ereof.

5. A rack or stand for articles of furniture, comprising a standard, a cross arm, an article-supporting bracket pivoted to the cross arm, the article engaging points of the bracket being above the pivot thereof, and means to limit the movement of the bracket on its pivot consisting of projections on the bracket adapted to alternately engage the cross arm.

6. A rack or stand for articles of furniture, comprising a standard, and an article-engaging support having three se arated oints of contact for the under side 0 the article to be supported, said points of contact being so arranged that a straight line will not intersect more than two of them.

7. A rack or standard for articles of furniture, comprising a standard, a horizontal arm composed of bars secured together side by side and embracing the standard, and a T- shaped article-supporting bracket attached to said arm.

8. A rack or stand for articles of furniture, comprising a standard, and a pivoted articlesuipporting bracket, consisting of a horizonta article-engaging member, and a vertical member the pivot of the bracket being in the lower end of said vertical member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VALENTINE O. LUPPERT.

Witnesses:

HUGH GILMORE, OLIVER J. DECKER. 

